Computer systems are being used today to store various types of media, such as audio data, video data, combined audio and video data, and streaming media from online sources. Media clips recorded from or obtained from different sources often have widely varying volume levels. For example, an audio file copied from a Compact Disc (CD) may have a particular volume level and an audio file downloaded from an online music source may have a significantly different volume level. If the difference in volume levels between two audio files is significant, a user will notice the difference in volume when the two audio files are played sequentially.
A user can play audio data through a computer system using, for example, a media player application. If the volume between different songs or media clips is significant, the user can manually adjust the volume for each song or media clip such that the volume is at the desired level. This approach is annoying to the user of the computer and distracts the user from their other activities.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an audio playback mechanism that automatically adjusts the volume of different sets of audio data (e.g., media clips) such that the playback volume is substantially constant across a list of different audio data.